Hello again, again :). I’m typing from a beautiful rental house in Myakka City, Florida. It’s out in the country and has my dream wrap around porch as well as a sizable fenced-in back yard. There are even a few cows in a pasture right next to the house. Goats and roosters are within earshot, too. It sure feels nice to spread out for a bit while our 5th wheel is in the shop for a recall and other maintenance.
We just spent 6 months at Ramblers Rest RV Resort in Venice, Florida. It was a return visit for us; we spent the previous winter there. I really enjoyed seeing familiar faces and meeting other new-to-us people. Our daily walks and balance bike rides allowed for safe, outside, socially distanced socialization. Ramblers Rest also has a nice playground that we frequented. There’s a beautiful pool, splash pad and hot tub, though it was more busy than I felt comfortable with during a pandemic.
Ramblers Rest has been my favorite RV park so far. It has a good amount of green space and tree cover as well as access to the Myakka River. Staff members are wonderful and helpful, though there is one office person that can be quite curt. Beware if you’re near the water retention ponds, as there are gators.
I am so touched by the thoughtfulness and generosity of so many sweet souls there. It seemed like every week Ellie was receiving thoughtful gifts. One woman even made Ellie a beautiful Frozen themed quilt. Ellie also had an open invitation to feed treats to one kind woman’s dog and kitties. She left the treats accessible outside. The gifts of these peoples’ time and kindness are so appreciated.
George and I are slowly starting to enjoy some of the benefits of being fully vaccinated such as seeing local-ish friends we haven’t seen in over a year. We do continue to wear our masks in public places to support Ellie in wearing hers and also to protect her due to the possibility of “breakthrough” COVID.
Before rolling on to our next stop, I thought I’d recap some of our favorite COVID-friendly places around Venice.
Playgrounds – I am so thankful for playgrounds. Lucky for us Venice and especially North Port have some amazing playgrounds. Here are some of Ellie’s favorites:
- Prentiss French Park
- Venezia Park
- Blue Ridge Park
- Boundless Adventures Playground
- Hope Park
- Englewood Park
Destination Walks – Ramblers Rest was a lovely place to walk, yet it’s always nice to switch things up from time to time.
- Centennial Park – Park in the public parking lot (in downtown Venice) and walk to the beach. It’s a straight shot west-bound on Venice Avenue. We would typically take a slight detour to play at Prentiss French Park.
- Venetian Waterway Trail – We typically parked at Shamrock Park and played at the playground, too.
- Nathan Benderson Park – There is also a playground here, but the parking lot is often full. We usually parked at a lot on the opposite side of the lake, which broke up the walk for Ellie to get out and play.
Beaches – Nice nearby beaches with ample free parking.
- Venice Beach
- Nokomis Beach
- While we don’t enjoy hanging out for a beach day, we do like walking and playing on the beach, particularly in the morning or evening. It’s also a great place to fly kites.
We really didn’t explore the local cuisine, so I have nothing to recommend for dining out.
Overall, we really enjoyed our time in Venice. Like many places in Florida, the traffic can be a bit much. Our current stay out in Myakka City is solidifying for George and me that our ideal place to settle really is out in the country. Ideally a farm of some sort. This rental home is perfect other than missing nearby family and mountains.